THE FOURTH EPISTLE SAINT JOHN’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH MOBILE, ALABAMA The Reverend Thomas Heard, Rector The Protestant Episcopal Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast The Right Reverend James Russell Kendrick, Bishop
Vol. XXVI, Issue 11
November 2016
FROM THE RECTOR: Dear Ones, What a wonderful 60th Anniversary celebration we had last month! Over 125 with us on Sunday morning. The displays in the Great Hall were fabulous and the reception was outstanding. Thanks to all who worked to put this all together and all who contributed pictures, mementos, and food! I had back-to-back events away from the church that bracketed our celebration. How wonderful it is that I can be away and know that everything will go according to plan. The annual conference of the Society of Catholic Priests met in Atlanta from 5 through 8 October. I drove to Atlanta after Mass on Wednesday. Our conference always has a theme and we invite learned folk to speak to us around that theme. We also have concerted worship time, something that, as priests in parishes, we don’t get to do without being responsible for it. This year’s theme was “Priestly Formation”. Our Episcopal Visitor (that’s code for the bishop who meets with us) continues to be The Most Rev. Frank Griswold. It is always good to spend time with Frank. I also got to see several of my seminary classmates and other friends from around the The Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church of Canada. We didn’t have too many Canadians with us this year. I suspect they will be more likely to attend next year’s conference which will be in Chicago. We had three guest speakers. Mother Lizette LarsonMiller, who is the Huron-Lawson Professor of Liturgy at Huron University College, part of the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario. She spoke about the changes in formation programs in Canada, ranging from more non-residential seminarians to long-distance learning through on-line meetings and lectures.
The Very Rev. Andrew McGowan is Dean of the
Berkeley Divinity School at Yale. This is part of the Yale Divinity School and has been the Anglican formation vehicle for Yale. Dr. McGowan was appointed Dean in 2014. He spoke to us about the future of our existing seminaries. He feels that Virginia, Sewanee, and his seminary will survive, but he’s not sure about any of the others. He feels that they must certainly change, but intimated that trying to collapse programs into shorter time periods was not a formula for success. Our third presenter was Dr. Luke Timothy Johnson, the recently retired Candler School of Theology’s Robert W. Woodruff Professor, Emory’s most distinguished endowed chair. Dr. Johnson is a worldrenowned New Testament scholar, but his presentation to us was not in his usual field. He was quite frank about what he saw happening at Candler and, at one point, said, “I’m retired now, so I can say what I want.” He was concerned about the preparation of students, both before Candler and as a result of what they were doing at Candler. He felt that there was not enough rigor across the total experience. A large proportion of the students are commuters, not living on campus, and the formation of bonds amongst the program participants is lacking. As well, the academic standards seem to be slipping. On Sunday afternoon, our diocesan Clergy Conference began at Beckwith and ran through Tuesday morning. It was so good to be with my brother and sister clergy; we don’t often get to spend much time together. It is a time for getting to know each other, as well as have some rest and relaxation, along with learning. I am grateful for these opportunities. They are important opportunities for all clergy. I think they keep us connected and refreshed. I think they also keep us sane. -- Thomas
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HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOVEMBER LITURGICAL CALENDAR All Saints’ Day – 1 November
Clement of Rome – 23 November
Adopted by the Roman Catholic Church in the 9th century, the Feast of All Saints’ might have originated in Ireland and spread through the British Isles and to the continent. A commemoration of all who had professed faith in Christ and had given their lives for it and were felt to be in communion with Christians everywhere is found in the writings of Gregory Thaumaturgus from about 270. All Saints’ is a Principal Feast of the church, one of only seven that takes precedence over a Sunday. The 1979 Prayer Book recommends All Saints’ as one of four days that are particularly appropriate for the administration of the Sacrament of Holy Baptism.
Early tradition holds that Clement was a disciple of the Apostles and third Bishop of Rome. He is believed to be the author of a letter in about 96 from Rome to the church in Corinth. This letter is known as “First Clement” and is included in “The Apostolic Fathers” collection. Clement’s primary concern was about order and succession. He carefully gives us the origin of bishops and deacons: “[The Apostles] appointed their first converts, after testing them by the Spirit, to be the bishops and deacons of future believers.”
All Souls’ Day – 2 November
Falling on 24 November this year, Thanksgiving shares the commonality of agricultural festivals with many religions. None of these feasts were included in our Prayer Book until the Continental Congress established the Day of National Thanksgiving. Its roots are found in the observances of the Massachusetts and Virginia colonies.
The day following All Saints’ is known as All Souls’ or All Faithful Departed. This day recalls the body of all faithful Christians who have risen to new life in Christ. It is a day for remembering family and friends and members of a parish who have died in the preceding year. All Souls’ lost favor in the Reformation due to the abuses connected with the practice of saying Masses for the dead. A renewed understanding of All Souls’ led to its acceptance amongst Anglicans. Margaret of Scotland – 16 November At about the time of The Great Schism, Margaret, Queen of Scotland, was working to change what she considered to be lazy and old-fashioned practices. She restored the observance of Lent on Ash Wednesday (not the following Monday) and reinstituted the Roman rite in Latin (not in “that barbarous dialect”). Margaret was English by birth, but came to Scotland as the bride of King Malcolm. She also applied her energies to establishing schools, orphanages, and hospitals. She died in 1093 and is buried in Dumfermline Abbey.
Thanksgiving Day
Saint Andrew – 30 November The Feast of Saint Andrew is the first feast in the liturgical year, most often falling after the First Sunday of Advent. Andrew is most commonly remembered as the brother of Simon Peter, but this overlooks his special gifts to Jesus’ companions. Andrew was first a disciple of John the Baptist, one of two who left to follow Christ after John pointed out Jesus with the words, “Behold the Lamb of God.” Andrew, the first missionary, sought out his brother and brought him to Jesus. He was the disciple who brought the boy with the fishes and loaves to Jesus for the feeding of the multitude. Eusebius’ writings tell us that Andrew went to Scythia. Legend holds that he was martyred by pagans and crucified on an X-shaped cross. This is seen in the flag of Scotland, honoring its patron saint.
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The regular meeting of the Wardens and Vestry of Saint John’s Church was convened on 2 October 2016. All members were present. The minutes of the 11 September meeting were approved. Treasurer Janet Buckley reviewed the financial statements. Outreach will be organizing Thanksgiving Boxes again this year. The Giving Tree will be up for the first Sunday of Advent.
The time has arrived. Sunday, November 20th will be the day we take up the UTO offering. We hope you have been putting your change aside for UTO at dinner time. There are envelopes and boxes available in the church office. If you would like to write a check put UTO on the memo line. Thank you for your help.
Parish Life reported that the theme for October’s 4th Sunday Potluck is Breast Cancer Awareness and will be sponsoring “pink things” for everyone.
-Donna Waites
Fr. Heard reported that the estimates to acquire and install the used chiller from GP Cellulose exceed the quotation for a replacement of the existing unit. He asked the Vestry to decide whether to replace the 41year-old chiller or replace the second failed compressor. The Vestry voted to replace the compressor. Fr. Heard opened a discussion on our employment package and possible modifications. The 60th Anniversary Homecoming Committee reported that things are well in-hand for next Sunday. The meeting was adjourned with prayer by Fr. Heard.
NOVEMBER 4TH SUNDAY POTLUCK Since the 4th Sunday in November is the Sunday after Thanksgiving, our theme will be “Anything but Turkey!” Bring your family and friends; we’d love to see them in church and the more the merrier for our potluck lunch.
Memorial Donations Saint John’s wishes to extend a sincere thank you to those who made donations in memory of the following: Patricia Dever Thomas Karen & Michael Keel Tom & Marietta Ford Rebecca Minto, Alice Mitchell & Skipper Nelson Joseph P. & Violet L. Kosko Kosko daughters Kathy, Mary, Pat, Marcia Michael & Mary Bonner James Ashley Cieutat Joyce Lee
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INTRODUCING SCRIP AT SAINT JOHN’S What could be better than doing your Christmas shopping from the comfort of your own living room, while helping your church at the same time? What if you could do this all year long…and it wouldn’t cost you an extra dime? We are debuting a scrip program at Saint John’s that will let you do that very thing! With this newsletter, we are introducing “Shop with Scrip,” a gift card purchasing program wherein cards are sold to parishioners at face value, while the church purchases the cards at a discount, thus earning a small profit on each card sold. An order form is included with this newsletter, showing the discount earned by the church on each purchase. You will pay for and receive gift cards at their face value and Saint John’s earns the indicated discount. Everybody wins!! For example, if you spend at least $100 every month at Winn Dixie, then buy a $100 Winn Dixie gift card through the church to spend on your groceries. You will pay $100 for the card, which Saint John’s will buy for $96, thus earning $4 for the church. This may not seem like much, but it really adds up when lots of people participate. The Church of the Redeemer has been participating in the scrip program for a number of years, and they are currently netting over $2,000 per year for the church.
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Outreach FOOD DRIVE: THANKSGIVING FOOD BOXES FOR FAMILIES IN NEED Once again we are going to fill twelve boxes with non-perishable food and have them delivered to twelve families who are in need. The Outreach Committee will be providing a ham to go in each box. The families have been chosen by Mobile Community Action, a social services agency that serves low income clients. All of the families have young children; many are grandparents raising their grandchildren. The MCA social workers will be picking up and delivering the boxes to the families on Thursday, November 17th. We want to have the boxes filled on Sunday, November 12th. You can start bringing your contributions to the church any time during the next two weeks.
An order form with a list of local retailers is included in this newsletter, but you may also order any card from the complete list of hundreds of retailers, which is found at www.shopwithscrip.com.
Our goal is to provide a box of food that will help them out for the week their children will be home for Thanksgiving holiday. Take this shopping list to remind you what we want to provide in each box.
Orders will be placed once each month, and are due in the church office by the first Monday of the month. Payment is due at the time you place your order, with checks made payable to “St. John’s Scrip.” Gift cards will be available the next Sunday.
Thank You Outreach Committee
Eugene Johnston has volunteered to chair this effort, and he’ll be talking it up in the very near future.
Saint John’s Fall Food Drive Shopping List: canned green beans canned corn pudding cups fruit or applesauce cups grits peanut butter jelly canned tuna canned peaches
canned yams dried beans rice boxed mac and cheese boxed corn bread mix snack cakes
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A LETTER OF THANKS Our 60th anniversary celebration of being in our Government Street location was a huge success. Thanks to all of our workers who put in hours and hours to make for the big success. Irene, Neva, Paula, Connie & others did a great job of setting up the tables, putting on the white skirts, washing dirty linens, bringing out the punch bowls, making sure they were clean, etc., etc. They all deserve a big hand. [Clap, clap!] Great job, ladies!
Geri did a magnificent job of decorating. You missed a beautiful sight if you didn’t come to the reception. The three large candelabras, with cascading greenery and flowers in the center, were absolutely gorgeous. Geri brought green and gold materials to be bunched up under the candelabras to set off the whole arrangement. Plus, there were large baskets of flowers sitting on the pianos. The baskets looked like they were made of some sort of tree roots. Hope you got to see them! As usual, our St. John’s cooks, under the direction of Irene, our social coordinator, provided a multitude of goodies. It was all delicious and plentiful. Thanks to all! Everyone told me the picture display was very good. I didn’t get to see it, but I know it had to have been good with all the time all of us spent hunting for St. John’s pictures. Nikki and Janet used their expertise putting it all together, Great job!! Now to get to the congregation. The church was full, and that was great. I saw folks I hadn’t seen in years. Christy and his wife Patsy were there from Raleigh, NC. You could tell he and James are brothers. Becky and her son Daly were there. She said Daly wanted to sit where they used to sit, which was up front. Jim and Rhonda came from Kansas. Rhonda said they were heading back to Kansas after the reception, and it was a 15 hour drive. Good to see you. Then there was Jeannie and her husband Cliff, as well as a couple of her sisters. Audrey would have been proud. The Meador girls were joined by their cousin Vivian and her husband Bill. I know Marjorie would have been proud, too. Two of the girls from the first Sunday School class I ever taught were there: Kathy & Connie. We used to
meet upstairs in the rectory at the “old church.” Always good to see them. Also recognized by me was Mary’s husband Bob. He’s finally walking on his own after a severe ankle break. Their daughter Sarah was there, too. Good to see them! It was good to see Joan-Marie and her daughter Lia. We miss seeing her. Last, but not least, my son George and his wife Glenda and daughter Rebecca were there from Birmingham. And, as a big surprise to me, my granddaughter Allison, her husband T.J., plus my 10 month old greatgranddaughter Cara, AND my grandson Bobby, his wife Michelle, plus my 15 month old first greatgrandson Crawford, were there. They were all heading back to Birmingham after the reception. Thank you for the love, surprise, and effort you all put out for me. Thank you, thank you! I love you all. I want to thank Andrew for helping me all he does. I couldn’t do it without him! I can’t end this “epistle” without commenting on the invitations mailed out. They were beautiful and very professional. The bookmarks inserted in the bulletins were a great touch and a reminder of this glorious day. Thanks again to all! Love, Joyce Lee
Watch for pictures from the 60th Anniversary Celebration in our December newsletter.
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CHRISTMAS EDITION OF THE GIFTS FOR LIFE CATALOG The Christmas edition of the Episcopal Relief & Development’s Gifts for Life catalog is now available. A catalog has been sent to each congregation and more can be ordered from the Episcopal Marketplace by calling 1.866.937.2772. In addition, it can be found on line at http://www.episcopalrelief.org/what-you-cando/gifts-for-life.
Copies of the catalog will be given out at church in early November or available in the church office.
The Gifts for Life offer many gift opportunities as well as making a positive difference in a disadvantaged person’s life. There is the option of purchasing chickens, goats, cows and many other things that can contribute to a family’s ability to feed themselves. Others gifts can lead to better health and more economic prospects. In the past, several congregations in the diocese have used the gift options as fund raisers during Advent. Two such parishes, Christ Church Parish, Pensacola and St Andrew’s, Panama City have been highlighted in this year’s catalog.
The Gifts for Life make wonderful gifts during Christmas and have a lasting impact on someone less fortunate. Using the catalog also offers gift givers the opportunity to send an attractive card that can be personalized, but order early to beat the Christmas rush.
Please remember to turn your clocks BACK one hour at 2 a.m. on Sunday, November 6, marking the end of Daylight Savings Time. Also, the International Association of Fire Chiefs asks people to test their existing batteries or install fresh batteries in their smoke detectors when they change their clocks each year. So, please remember to “Change Your Clock—Change Your Battery” this weekend.
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Rosalie Pritchard Louis Daniel Art Youngblood Cindy Gass Mayson Pritchard
11/04 11/09 11/09 11/11 11/12
Denise Dunham Jennifer Tarantole Caitlin Bryan Nikki Shaw Kim Partsch
11/18 11/19 11/22 11/22 11/30
Emily & Eugene Johnston Jessica & Jeff Dennis Marjorie & Roy Duhon Pat & Jerry Fulford
11/05 11/10 11/22 11/23
Contact Us Staff: The Reverend Thomas Heard, rector rector@stjohnsmobile.org
For healing grace and continued strength, we pray for our members: Marian Boykin, Ron Brown, Bessie Southall, Jean Brown, Mary Jones, Jayson Chestang, Budd McLean, Joyce Lee, Donna Waites. For our Homebound: Mae Dunn, Joan‑Marie Elam, LaVerne Foster, Lorraine Murray, Alice Schablinski, Catherine Warren, Chick Wohlert, Becky & Art Youngblood. For victims of war and their families, and members of our Armed Forces and their families: Ellis Garner, Eric Mattoon. For our Friends and Family: Charles Geck, Donny Chestang, Barbara Bonner, Judy Wonson, Gathea Jordan, Cliff Federle, Louis Bell, Jerry Wigfield, Karen Davis, Charlie Coles, Anna Marie Brown, Mary Jo Vinson, Kellie Roberts‑Bryars, David Bryars, Bonnie Jernigan, Troy Fisher, Kaye Turner, Katelynn Tillman, Britney Butler, Ann Hall, Angie Leon, Neal Tourné, Sandy & Ray Michel, Brenda Bateman, Connor Crist, Starley Anderson, Paul Nelson, Krystal Hiatt, Robert Cochran, Sr., Irene Barrow, Elias Bates, Bill Jones, Mark Stiber.
Louis Daniel Organist & Choir Director music@stjohnsmobile.org Lella Lowe Financial Secretary finance@stjohnsmobile.org Jack Ruppe Sexton Vestry: Connie Anderson
Ron Brown Janet Buckley, treasurer James Christiansen, junior warden Cindy Gass, senior warden Eugene Johnston Geri Moulton Nikki Shaw, clerk Butch Yeager
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Saint John’s Episcopal Church 1707 Government Street Mobile, Alabama 36604
Nonprofit Organization U.S.POSTAGE PAID Mobile, Alabama Permit No. 607
RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
Come Worship With Us! Monday—Friday: 8:30AM Morning Prayer
Parish Office Monday-Thursday 9:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.
Sunday: 9:00AM Adult and Youth Christian Formation 10:00AM Holy Eucharist
Telephone: 251-479-5474 Fax: 251-473-1230 www.stjohnsmobile.org
Wednesday: 10:00AM Holy Eucharist; Healing on the 1st Wednesday of the month.
Thee Store Episcopal Books Monday Wednesday Thursday 9 a.m.-1 p.m. and by appointment
Other Feasts and Holy Days are observed throughout the year; please see our website for the latest schedule.
Telephone: 251-479-5086
SAINT JOHN’S: THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH IN MIDTOWN MOBILE Grounded in shared sacramental life and moving into the world to be the hands of Our Lord.